Convertible skate.



PATENTED MAR. 3, 1908.

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GONVERTIBLB'SKATE. .nnmumn mum mm 20. 1901.

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WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' FRIEDRICH GRAFFENBERGER'OF MILwAUKEnwIscoNsINj CONVERTIBLE sir-ATE.

To allwhom it may concern:

State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Convertible Skates, of which the following is a specification.

M invention relates to improvements in com ination ice and roller skates. v

The object of myinvention is to provide the ordinary ice skate with suitable rollers which may be either attached to and detached from the blade of-the iceskate, or,

may be adjusted into and out of position for use without detaching them and in which one or both of each pair of rollers. may be.

employed as a brake, when desired, the

- brake being preferably operative to prevent rotation in one direction only, whereb the rollers are'prevented from revolving. ackwardly as the back stroke is being given. Regard is also had for simplicity, durability 7 and weight, the invention being designed so as to add as little as possible to the weight of an ordinary skate. J v r In the following ,descri tion reference is had to the accom anying rawings, in which, Figure 1 is a si e view of an ordinary skate with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged 'detail view in front elevation showing one of the rollers in vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a view of one of the roller. supporting shafts. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view I drawn through. the socket of the ball clutch,

- suitable holes skate forthat purpose.

and showing the ball in clutching position, with dotted lines indicating its inoperative position.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

-1 is the blade of a skate of ordinary construetion. v v

' 2.are the rollers which are-connectedin pairs to the respective ends of. the blade by. means .of the roller supporting. shafts 3,

clamping plates 4 and clamping screws 5, the latter bein preferably passed through formed in the blade' of the Clamping plates 4 for each set of rollers are ,preferably formed integrally of a single piece of metal which is 'bentin the form-o a yoke with the clamping screw 5 passing through the: free ends or arms of the yoke and withthe'shaft 3 passing through the yoke arms nearthe base. 5 Each .of the rollers 2is preferably in; the form ofa hoHow shell 6 provided with bearingfmem- Specification of Letters Patent, Application filed July 20.1907, Serial No. 384.699.

7 are-pressed forcibly into circular apertures an desired (position by the set jsc'rewrld.

Patented match s, 1908.

. bers 7 adapted to retain the balls 8 which are Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH G RAFFEN- BERGER! a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and

interposed between the bearing 7 and raceways 8 on the shaft. The bearing member's in the side walls of the shell and are held in position by friction, or by brazing-or riveting, if desired, washers 9 being employed to hold the bearing members, raceways and the shell in position on the shaft The outer 5 washers are engaged by suitable clamping nuts 10 which may be lo'cked in any desired position of adjustment by keys 11.

The inner walls of the bearin members are connected .with a-ring'12 w ich incloses 7 a socket'13 in the shaft and from-which al segmental channel" 14' extends partiallyl around S8,ld' 'Shfi,ft and leads-from the socket,

outwardly with gradually decreasing depth\ in a direction opposite that of progressive n roller rotation, w ereby a ball clutch 15 may either occupy an ino erative position in the socket, or may be de iverecl by gravity. into the channel 14; and-permittedto' roll. to the shallowend of said channel, whereu on theball binds between the ring 12 and t e base of the channel andlocks the roller against rotation. The central-portion of the'shaft 3 is exposed between the yoke arms 4, and a portion of this shaft is preferably cut awayss I or marked as indicated m Fig. 2, forming a slight socket whichreceives a set screw 16'so that the osition of the shaft, with reference to' the ba 1 clutch 15 and the socket 13, may, be ascertained'by inspection and locked :i'n'eofl en it is esiredto have the roller-run freely, the shaft is turned so that the'ball will drop by clutch being't us rendered inoperative. ,By

a artial rotation of the shtift-howevenjthe j ba 1 is permitted to drop out of the sockettoj a point inthe channel whereitwill serve as"aclutch." The shaft will be retained in posia-L- tion (when the "clutchis operative). .by the 10.0 set screw 16," which may be-lo'oshnedto er- J v mit the shaft adjustments ;by' means ojan ordinary skate kewhich is also used to' ad just the shaft. brakeis provided which may be made-effect" iveor not at the option of the'user, even .f when the ball -in .one of the rollers is in .a

clutching position, for'the rea's'on ,thatthe weight of ,the user may be shifted from one of t I e rollers to the: other in accordance with the'desire of theuser to have either a free I avity into the socket 13, thef' ith 'this- 'construction .a

'both,.if desired, and may be 0 positely arranged in the two rollers,'where y one of the clutches may be made to operate in one di rection andthe other in the other. direction.

-- Ordinarily, however, the clutch will be principally used to prevent backward rotation of the rollers, and to thus facilitate hill climbmg The clampin bolt 5 is preferably made with a square Tread adapted to receive an ordinary skate key so that by means of such a key the clampin' arms 4 may be loosened at any time and t j rollers either swung to the operative position in which they are shown in Fig. 1 .or to an inoperative position as shown by dotted lines in said figure.

It is not .essential to my invention that the clam ing bolt 5 be passed through a hole in the bade of the skate, since it is obvious that the arms 4 may be adjusted across the blade and the clamping bolt 5 passed through any opening in the skate frame. The holes in the b ade of the skate for the rece tion of the. bolt 5 are referably employed, iiowever, for the sake f convenience in adjusting the rollers and out of operative position without removing-them. The clamping arms or plates 4 are preferably formed -of resilient material so as toperform the function of springs and permit a yielding movement as the rollers pass over an uneven surface.

Having thus described. my invention what I claim as new and desire to'secure by Letters Patent is, I

1'. The combination with the respective ends of an ice skate blade, ofan adjustable roller supporting shaft, clamping arms adjustably connecting said shaft with the skate 'blade, a roller mounted on said shaft, and a clutch brake adapted, in oneposition ofadjus'tment on the shaft, to resist a backward rotation of said roller. I 'p I 2. The combination with the respective ends of an ice-skate blade, of clamping arms connected with the skate blade, an adjustable-shaft journaled insaid arms andnormally non-rotatable, a roller mounted on said shaft and a gravity clutch for the roller loosely connected with the shaft and adapted to move to inoperative position when the shaft is-in one position of adjustment.

3. The combination of an ice skate blade perforated near its respective ends, a roller supporting clamping member at each end of the blade having a clamping bolt extending through said perforation and a roller carried by the clamping member, said clamping member being adapted to swing on the clamping bolt as 7a pivot to adjust the roller either above or below the skate blade when the pivotal clamping-bolt is loosened. I

4. The combination of an ice skate blade, a clamping yoke at each end thereof .pivotally connected with the blade, a shaft adjustably mounted in saidclamping yoke. a pair of rollers mountedon the shaft and a clutch member adapted to lock said rollers against rotation in one direction in one position of adjustment of said shaft.

-5. The combination of anice skate blade, a clamping yoke at each end thereof ivotally connected with the blade, an a ju'stable shaft mounted in said clamping yoke, a pair of rollers mounted on the shaft and. means for locking said shaft against rotation, said shaft being provided with a socket and a channel of gradually decreasing depth leadingtherefrom, a loose ball adapted to move in said socket and channel and arin co'nnected with the roller and adaptedto e en- 'gaged by said ball when at the shallow end of said channel whereby roller rotation toward the shallow end of the channel is prevented when the ball is in that position.

In testimony whereof. I afliX my signature .in the presence of two witnesses.

FRIEDRICH GRAFFENBERGER. 

